The Book of Jerks
by anek
Summary: Trunks reads something that belongs to Pan... and Pan's not too happy about it... T/P ofcourse! Please review! One-shot fic.


A/N: Hi! I just got this idea and I knew I just had to write it down. Don't worry… I'll update my other fic Wonderful Journey soon. Anyway, this is quite typical t/p fic… I guess. It's more serious than what I usually write, but hey glares I can write a serious fic too you know.  
  
  
  
::::: THE BOOK OF JERKS:::::  
  
  
  
"Pan! Pan!" Trunks called, knocking on his closest friend's window. No answer came from inside.  
  
"Panny! Open the window!" he knocked harder… still no response. He lifted the windowsill effortlessly and slipped inside. It's not like it's the first time he entered Pan's room without permission. After their Dragonball hunting days in space, especially after Goku disappeared, they had become real close friends. They understood each other more than anyone else, even their own families.  
  
Pan ran up the staircase to her room. She opened the door just as Trunks closed the window back.  
  
"Hey Trunks, what's up?" Pan asked.  
  
Trunks shrugged and collapse on the bed.  
  
"I've been hovering outside your window for the last 15 minutes! Where have you been?" he demanded.  
  
Pan settled her hands on her hips. "Well, excuse me, but I don't recall agreeing that you become my keeper. Besides, there's a more traditional and convenient way of entrance you know… it's called a door."  
  
Trunks waved a tired hand. "I didn't want to wake Gohan and Videl up."  
  
Pan sighed and sat on the bed. "Dad's still up. He's helping me do my homework downstairs." Then she gave Trunks' shoulder a playful slap. "Hey, are you going to tell me what you're doing here, or not?"  
  
Trunks widened his eyes innocently. "What? Can't I visit my best friend just because I want to?"  
  
Pan rolled her eyes. "No, you wouldn't get your lazy butt all the way here for no reason."  
  
Trunks faked a hurt look. "Hey, I thought you know me better than that!"  
  
Pan grinned. "Yeah, whatever Trunks… but really, I have to go back and finish my homework. Dad's waiting for me."  
  
Trunks held out two hands in defeat. "Fine, fine… since you want to get rid of me so bad — here," he finished, handing a small box to the raven-haired girl.  
  
Pan pouted. "You know I didn't mean it that way! I was just—" she didn't get to finish explaining as she opened the box. "Oh…" was all she could say. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was studded with several diamonds and a the center was a small frame holding a picture of her grandpa Goku, Trunks, and herself taken sometime when they were in space.  
  
"Happy 16th birthday, Panny," Trunks whispered.  
  
Pan squealed and threw herself on Trunks' arms.  
  
"It's beautiful Trunks! Thank you!" She pulled herself away and drew her eyebrows thoughtfully. "But my birthday is not until tomorrow!"  
  
Trunks simply smiled. "I know… but I want you to wear it tomorrow on your party, so I had to give it to you tonight."  
  
Pan brightened. "Thanks! But I really have to go and finish my homework. Wanna come downstairs and say hi to dad?"  
  
Trunks shook his head tiredly. "Nah, just say hi for me. I'm really tired. I came straight here from work."  
  
Pan hugged him one more time and dashed out of the room. "See you tomorrow!" she called out before closing the door and flying down the stairs.  
  
Trunks smiled fondly to himself, but suddenly groaned loudly. He had been nursing a headache all day, but he just couldn't afford to disappoint his little Panny. He groped the wall above the headboard for support, but suddenly a small portion of the wall pushed to reveal what looked like a secret cabinet.  
  
Trunks chuckled to himself… just like Pan to keep secrets. He pulled the block back and tried to fix it. He knew Pan absolutely hated it when people messes up with her stuff. He gave the stony block one last thug, but apparently, it was too brittle for his saiyan strength.  
  
"Oh great… now Pan's going to kill me," Trunks grumbled.  
  
He desperately tried to clear up the crumbles, but he only managed to spill out the contents of the cabinet. A black leather-bound book made a soft thud on the bed.  
  
"What the—" Trunks began and picked up the book.  
  
"The Book of Jerks," he read, the broke out laughing. "What kind of book is that?" he asked out loud.  
  
He started lifting the front cover, but stopped himself in time. If Pan hid it… he had no right to see it, let alone read it. "But aww… that's such a curious title," Trunks reasoned out with himself.  
  
He stared at the book and debated with himself… then curiosity won over. He flipped the first blank page and found an entry written in Pan's handwriting.  
  
Sweating heavily, he started reading.  
  
_ I miss my grandpa Goku terribly, but I bet everybody knows that. Since he disappeared, something inside me disappeared too. A piece of my heart is now missing and went with him. Well, everybody knows that too. What they don't know though, is that there's always been something missing in my life even before grandpa left us… left me…_  
  
Trunks smiled sadly to himself. He had only caught glimpses of this side of Pan. He'd always known there's a soft woman inside that tough façade of hers, but he never thought she was hurting this much inside.  
  
He took a deep breath and flipped the next page.  
  
  
  
_Jordan Saito:  
_  
_First jerk I met. He asked me out when I was 12. Turns out, he only wanted an autograph from grandpa Hercule… huh, pathetic. I told him to take a hike complete with a broken nose as a souvenir.   
_  
"The bastard," Trunks muttered and flipped another page.  
  
_ Rom King:  
  
Another jerk. Saw me lift a table with one hand on our first date and called me a freak. Never talked to him again, but I think he got a broken arm from me.   
_  
Trunks angrily flipped over the next page. "They don't know how special you are, Panny."  
  
_Chris Siasko:  
  
Went out with him several times. Really sweet, and always following me everywhere. I thought he really liked me, but I found out some goons were after him. He knew no one would get him if he hangs out with Son Pan… granddaughter of Hercule Satan (yeah, right!). Do I have a 'body guard' sign stamped on my forehead or what?! He got a broken leg for his effort.   
  
Tomy Sworski:  
  
One of dad's students. I couldn't believe it when a college guy like him started sweet-talking to me, but I thought, oh well, why not? Can you believe he asked me to steal dad's gradebook? The nerve!!! I gave him a huge bruise on the face to remember me by.  
  
_Trunks gritted his teeth in rage. How dare these loosers treat his Panny like that! "I would kill them myself if Pan would let me," he snorted.  
  
He went down the rest of the list. By the time he got to the second to the last page, he was seething in anger. He quickly flipped to the last entry.  
  
_Truman Matthews:  
  
Ok, so he's the football star of our school, you know the type… self-absorbed, cocky… cute. Couldn't believe it when he started hitting on me… but I thought, hey, I'm Son Pan too you know. So went out with him… until he tried to blackmail me into sleeping with him. Hah! I could just scream and spit his name! He ended up in a coma for a week… serves him right. I don't think he would ever play football again.   
_  
"Hah, I would have made sure he never gets out from his coma ever!" Trunks said out loud, clenching his fists.  
  
He let out a long sigh and stood up. He started to put the book back on the cabinet, but it slipped out of his grasp and fell on the floor. He bent down to pick it up, but it was then when he noticed a torn page slipped somewhere between the pages. The paper was terribly crumpled. He smoothed in out on his lap and stared at the piece. It was yet another entry, but hard to read. There were smeared ink and blotches all over. He briefly closed his eyes when he realized the blotches were non-other than tears. Whoever this guy the entry was for, he had surely hurt Pan terribly for making her cry, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop himself from hunting this guy down.  
  
He narrowed his eyes and tried to make out the words… but when he did, he wished he had never got hold of this accursed book at all.  
  
_ Trunks Briefs:  
  
I'm not sure if he's the King of the Jerks or the Prince Charming himself. He cares about me, alright, but like another sister, a friend. I know it's useless… he's got beautiful, mature, sophisticated women drooling all over him… but still… I can't help it… I think I love him... and it hurts so much…   
_  
Trunks immediately crumpled the paper and slammed the book shut. He ran a frustrated hand through his purple locks. "Oh Gods… I never meant to hurt you Panny… I never meant to…" he sobbed.  
  
Just then, the door burst open and in came the Pan everyone knows—cheerful and confident.  
  
"Hey Trunks, you're still here! What—" Pan stopped dead on her tracks and stared at the book still caught between Trunks hands. Her eyes widened in shock… then anger took over.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU!!! How dare you?!!!" she shouted.  
  
"Pan, I can explain—" Trunks began.  
  
"THERE'S NOTHING TO EXPLAIN! You went through my things without my permission!"  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Trunks tried to explain desperately.  
  
But Pan was too enraged her tears were helplessly falling down her cheeks.  
  
"GET OUT!"  
  
"But Pan—"  
  
"I SAID GET OUT!!!"  
  
Trunks dropped the book on the bed dejectedly. He flew out of the window not knowing where he was going for his own tears were blinding him.  
  
  
  
:::::Capsule Corp, Pan's 16th b-day party:::::  
  
Pan fingered the necklace under her dress. She had purposely worn a dress that wouldn't show the necklace-- Trunks' gift. She was still seething. She had poured her heart out on that book. She had gone through a lot in her young age… including being killed and being brought back to life, but there was always one thing that kept her going—her pride. And Trunks had just too easily taken that pride out and stomped on it to his heart's content. He's probably gloating over himself right now. It was too much to hope that he didn't read that entry about him.  
  
"Care to dance, miss birthday girl?" Trunks asked.  
  
Pan whipped around, glaring. Damn, how she hated his guts. He's acting like nothing happened.  
  
"No, thank you," she snapped.  
  
"I see you're not wearing my gift," Trunks observed.  
  
"So what? I don't want to!" she lied.  
  
Trunks sighed and held out a medium-sized box.  
  
"It's for you," he offered.  
  
"What for? If you think you can pay me for what you did, you're terribly mistaken," Pan said dryly.  
  
"Just take it, please?"  
  
"Well I don't want it!"  
  
"Please?" Trunks insisted.  
  
"Fine!" Pan answered angrily and yanked the box. She ripped out the wrap irritably.  
  
Inside was a box with a keyhole. She couldn't budge it open no matter how much she tried.  
  
Pan slammed the box on a nearby table. "You're just making fun of me, aren't you?!" she demanded.  
  
Trunks simply shook his head and smiled warmly.  
  
"The box is made of a special metal… it's saiyan-proof by the way. It can only be opened with a key."  
  
Pan struggled to calm herself down. "So? Are you going to give me the key or what?!"  
  
Trunks shook his head. "No. I'll give it to you on your 18th birthday."  
  
"What kind of gift is that when I can't even open it for two more years!" Pan raged. She really didn't care much about what's in the box. What ticked her off so much was the fact that Trunks is obviously toying with her.  
  
Trunks only gave a lop-sided grin.  
  
Pan simmered and pressed a finger on Trunks' chest.  
  
"Now listen here mister," she gritted out. "I really hate it when people are trying to make fool of me. Ok, so you read my diary and you know how I feel, but that doesn't give you the right to make fun of me!!!"  
  
Trunks didn't answer but instead, silently planted a warm kiss on Pan's hand.  
  
Pan yanked her hand back in surprise. She took and shuddering breath and desperately tried to remember that he's still being a jerk… sweet, but a jerk nonetheless.  
  
"Why can't I open the box now?" she asked again, not really caring if she would get an answer or not. She just needed to say something.  
  
A small smile slowly crept across Trunks' lips.  
  
"Because Gohan's going to kill me if you open it now… Panny," he whispered. He then placed a kiss on her forehead and started walking away.  
  
Pan could only stare at his back—too confused and bewildered to talk.  
  
::: the end:::  
  
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  
  
A/n: So, what do you think was in that box? Take your best guess! I didn't mention the size of the box so you can pretty much imagine anything.  
  
If you want a sequel, please review! … puppy-dog eyes please?  
  
--spawnie-chan-- 

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